Videoconferencing Equipment Assembly and Related Methods

ABSTRACT

An assembly of videoconferencing equipment includes a flat panel display, a structure mounting the flat panel display to a support surface, and videoconferencing equipment mounted to the structure. The structure and the videoconferencing equipment mounted to the structure are substantially concealed from view by the flat panel display from a front side of the flat panel display.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/800,757 filed Mar. 13, 2013. The entire disclosure of the aboveapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a videoconferencing equipment assemblyand related methods.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Installing videoconferencing equipment in a conference room can becomplicated and expensive, due at least in part to the fact that manyvariables typically need to be addressed. Room construction, furniturelayout, and building infrastructure all need to be taken into account sothat videoconferencing equipment components may be installed inappropriate room locations with appropriate wiring, power andventilation.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In one example embodiment, the disclosure is directed to an assembly ofvideoconferencing equipment. The assembly includes a flat panel display,a structure mounting the flat panel display to a support surface, andvideoconferencing equipment mounted to the structure. The structure andthe videoconferencing equipment mounted to the structure aresubstantially concealed from view by the flat panel display from a frontside of the flat panel display.

In another example implementation, the disclosure is directed to amethod of installing videoconferencing equipment. The method includesmounting a structure to a support surface, and mounting a flat paneldisplay to the structure. The method also includes mountingvideoconferencing equipment to the structure so that the flat paneldisplay substantially conceals the equipment and structure when viewedfrom a front side of the flat panel display.

In still another example implementation, the disclosure is directed toan assembly of videoconferencing equipment. The assembly includes anequipment rack and a bracket mounted through the equipment rack to asupport surface. A flat panel display is mounted to the bracket.Videoconferencing equipment is mounted to the rack. The rack and thevideoconferencing equipment mounted thereto are substantially concealedfrom view by the flat panel display from a front side of the flat paneldisplay.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a top sectional view of an assembly of videoconferencingequipment in accordance with one implementation of the disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a bracket of a videoconferencingequipment assembly in accordance with one implementation of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view of a bracket of avideoconferencing equipment assembly in accordance with oneimplementation of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an equipment rack in accordance with oneimplementation of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an equipment rack in accordance with oneimplementation of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a structure in accordance with oneimplementation of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a structure and display unit mountedthereto in accordance with one implementation of the disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of an equipment rack to which videoconferencingequipment is mounted in accordance with one implementation of thedisclosure.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

The inventors have observed that when a videoconferencing system is tobe installed in a room, it can be a challenge to find space for thevarious pieces of equipment and to situate wiring and cables in relationto the room's furnishings. There are essentially no standards forinstalling videoconferencing equipment, and it can take time and moneyto arrive at a custom solution for installing such equipment.Accordingly, in various embodiments, the disclosure is directed to anassembly of videoconferencing equipment. Multiple pieces ofvideoconferencing equipment may be installed, e.g., between a flat paneldisplay and a support surface such as a wall. Pieces of equipment in theassembly can be easily removed, e.g., temporarily for servicing.

In some embodiments, an assembly of videoconferencing equipment includesa flat panel display, a structure mounting the flat panel display to asupport surface, and videoconferencing equipment mounted to thestructure. The structure and the videoconferencing equipment mounted tothe structure are substantially concealed, by the flat panel display,from view from a front side of the flat panel display.

One example embodiment of an assembly of videoconferencing equipment isindicated generally in FIG. 1 by reference number 10. A flat paneltelevision display 20 is mounted to a support surface, e.g., a wall 24,by a structure 28 that includes, e.g., a bracket 40 and an equipmentrack 34. The display 20 may be an eighty-inch LED display and is mountedon the bracket 40. Other display sizes and/or display types may beprovided in various embodiments, dependent, e.g., on room dimensions.The equipment rack 34 is positioned between the display 20 and the wall24 and is configured to receive videoconferencing equipment (not shownin FIG. 1). The bracket 40 is extendable through a frontal opening 46 inthe equipment rack 34.

The equipment rack 34, equipment mounted to the rack 34, and the bracket40 are all substantially concealed from view from a front side (i.e.,the viewing side) of the flat panel display 20. The extendable bracket40 allows the flat panel display 20 to be pulled away from the wall 24and the equipment rack 34 to provide access to the equipment mounted tothe rack. Although in the present example embodiment the equipment rack34 and bracket 40 are separate components, in some other embodiments anequipment rack and bracket could be implemented as a single component.

One example embodiment of a bracket is indicated generally in FIG. 2A byreference number 140. The bracket 140 includes wall mounts 144, supportbars 148, and extendable uprights 152 onto which a flat panel displaymay be mounted. The uprights 152 are retained by frames 154 mounted onthe support bars 148. Pull straps 156 are provided to release arestraint 160 so that the uprights 152 may be extended away from theframes 154, e.g., as shown in FIG. 2B. In some embodiments the wallmounts 144 are horizontally adjustable along the support bars 148 sothat the bracket may be adjusted prior to installation, e.g., toaccommodate various display and equipment sizes. One example bracket isa model LSMVU mount available from Chief Manufacturing, a division ofMilestone AV Technologies, www.chiefmfg.com. Other or additionalbrackets may be used in various embodiments, including but not limitedto standard off-the-shelf video wall mounts.

One example embodiment of an equipment rack is indicated generally inFIG. 3 by reference number 234. The rack 234 includes a top 236, abottom 238, sides 240, and a rear panel 242 by which the rack may bemounted to a support surface. A rack mount 244 in the top 236 and rackmounts 246 in the sides 240 are configured to receive pieces ofvideoconferencing equipment, e.g., standard rack mountable (2U)equipment. If, e.g., a rack mount 244 or 246 is unoccupied, it can be“blanked off” with a custom panel made in an industry-standard size. Thetop rack mount 244 may provide, e.g., a standards-based (e.g., 2U)opening. In one example embodiment, the top rack mount 244 may house acomponent having a depth of up to 9.75 inches, e.g., a video/contentreceiver such as a Barco ClickShare® or Crestron® DM-RMC-SCALER-C. In agiven side rack mount 246 in which two rack units are available, therack unit next to the rear panel 242 may be capable of holding equipmentup to 11.5 inches deep, and the adjacent rack unit may be capable ofholding equipment up to 13.75 inches deep. In some embodiments, avideoconferencing codec such as a Cisco® C40 codec may be installed inone rack unit of the side rack mounts 246. A controller such as aCrestron® MC3 may be installed in a side rack mount 246 that provides a2U space. An HDMI video transmitter/receiver such as an Extron® DTP 230HDMI Tx/Rx may also be installed in the rack 234. It should be notedgenerally that the foregoing pieces of equipment are examples only, andthat other or additional pieces and types of equipment could be mountedbetween the display and the wall.

The rack top 236 includes a pair of top vents 250, one on each side 252of the rack top 236. The vents 250 provide ventilation for equipmenthoused inside the rack. The rack 234 includes two fans (not shown)mounted therein below the vents 250. In various embodiments, fewer thanor more than two vents, and/or fewer than or more than two fans, may beprovided. The vents 250 may serve to quiet the fans, e.g., to less than50 decibels, C-weighted sound pressure level. The fans may be activated,e.g., using a temperature sensing power supply. Thus the equipment rack234 may also include a temperature sensor (not shown). A rear opening254 is provided whereby, e.g., power and/or data wiring, cabling and/orother infrastructure provided in a wall to which the rack is mounted maybe routed from the wall into the rack 234.

The top 236 also includes a pair of pass-throughs 260. Each pass-through260 is configured to provide a pathway from a speaker system installedin and/or near the rack 234. Such a system may include avideoconferencing camera mounted above the rack, and a speaker mountedbelow a video display installed in front of the rack. Cables for such aspeaker system may be passed through the pass-throughs 260 andconnected, e.g., to a power supply available through the rack rearopening 254. In the present example embodiment the pass-throughs 260 areabout two inches in diameter. In some other embodiments, fewer than ormore than two pass-throughs, which may be bigger or smaller than thepass-throughs 260, may be provided.

The rear panel 242 of the rack 234 includes top mounting holes 264(barely visible in FIG. 3) for attaching the rack 234 to a supportsurface. An installer may use the mounting holes 264 to position therack on a wall. In some embodiments, the holes 264 are configured tospan at least three wall studs. Bottom mounting holes 266 also may beprovided, to facilitate mounting of the bottom of the rack 234 to awall. Bottom mounting can serve to prevent the rack 234 from coming offa wall when a bracket and display mounted thereto are being pulled awayfrom the wall.

Pre-hang holes 268 are provided, e.g., to allow an installer to quicklyattach the rack 234 to a wall. Thus an installer may temporarily installthe rack 324 while a bracket is being leveled and aligned. In suchmanner, the weight of the rack 234 may be minimized to facilitateinstallation. Mounting holes 270 are provided whereby a bracket isattachable to the rack, e.g., by nuts and screws, bolts, etc.

The rack bottom 238 may serve as a resting place, e.g., for cable(s)that might be otherwise unsecured inside the rack 234. In the presentexample embodiment the bottom 238 is narrower than the sides 240. Insome other embodiments, a rack bottom may be coextensive with sides ofthe rack but nevertheless may provide an opening in the rack. A user canreach under a display installed adjacent the rack 234, reach through thebottom 238, and reach bracket pull straps to release the bracket so thatthe display mounted thereto may be pulled away from the support surface.The narrow bottom 238 also allows air to enter the rack 234 that isevacuated by the fans through the top vents 250.

Another example embodiment of an equipment rack is indicated generallyin FIG. 4 by reference number 272. The rack 272 includes a rear panel242 in which wire management points 370 are provided. Additionally oralternatively, wire management points 370 may be provided in locationswhere wiring enters or leaves the rack. Wire management points 370 are,e.g., raised metal points configured to allow, e.g., half-inch wideVelcro® strips to be extended under wiring and to route wiring throughthe rack 272.

An example embodiment of a structure suitable for an assembly ofvideoconferencing equipment is indicated generally in FIG. 5 byreference number 300. The structure 300 includes a bracket 340 and anequipment rack 334. The bracket 340 includes wall mounts 344, supportbars 348, and extendable uprights 352 onto which a flat panel displaymay be mounted. Pull straps 356 are provided to release restraints 360so that the uprights 352 and a display mounted thereon may be moved awayfrom a support surface to which the structure 300 is mounted.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of a structure 400 and displayunit 420 mounted thereto. The structure 400 is mounted to a supportsurface, e.g., a wall 430. FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment ofan equipment rack 500. Two example pieces 504 a and 504 b ofvideoconferencing equipment are mounted in adjacent rack units of a 2Uside rack mount 246.

To install a videoconferencing equipment assembly in accordance with oneexample implementation of the disclosure, a user, e.g., an installer,may mount a structure, e.g., an equipment rack and a bracket, to asupport surface, e.g., a wall. The installer may mount a flat paneldisplay on the structure, and may mount videoconferencing equipment tothe structure so that the flat panel display substantially conceals theequipment and structure when viewed from a front side of the flat paneldisplay.

The foregoing assembly makes it possible to store equipment and wiringin a single convenient, predetermined location. Equipment that is notrequired to be located in specific room locations can be installed inthe equipment rack, thereby simplifying the process of installingvideoconferencing systems. The use of a flat panel display instead of,e.g., a projector and projection screen allows the use of space behindthe display for housing equipment.

The foregoing rack offers more space and convenience than, e.g.,equipment storage areas in wall cavities, which are typically limited tosixteen-inch spaces between studs. In contrast, many pieces ofcommercial audiovisual equipment are nineteen inches wide. Additionally,an installer often does not know beforehand whether a given wall cavitymight be occupied by other infrastructure. Because space outside a wallis used by the foregoing assembly, variability in an installationprocess can be reduced or eliminated as to studs and other structuresthat might be present in the wall. Adequate space for equipment can beprovided in almost any videoconferencing environment.

By locating multiple pieces of equipment in or around the equipmentrack, variables can be reduced or eliminated in running wires to atable, ceiling and/or other pieces of furniture. Most if not allinfrastructure requirements for power, data, ventilation, and buildingconstruction can be localized through using implementations of theforegoing videoconferencing equipment assembly. In some installations inaccordance with implementations of the disclosure, it is possible thatthe only wires extending away from the assembly are a wire to aceiling-mounted microphone and a data cable to a table location, e.g.,to a touch panel or other videoconferencing system user interface. Allor substantially all other wiring can be localized to the display and tothe equipment rack. Thus wiring can be installed in a very short timecompared to the time it would typically take to install wiring for othervideoconferencing systems.

Using the space behind the display allows the use of industry standardspacing (rack units) in which to hold commercial equipment whileproviding wire management and promoting consistency in avideoconferencing system.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

1. An assembly of videoconferencing equipment, the assembly comprising:a flat panel display; a structure mounting the flat panel display to asupport surface; and videoconferencing equipment mounted to thestructure; wherein the structure and the videoconferencing equipmentmounted to the structure are substantially concealed from view by theflat panel display from a front side of the flat panel display.
 2. Theassembly of claim 1, wherein the structure includes an equipment rackhaving the videoconferencing equipment mounted thereto, and a bracketmounting the flat panel display to the support surface.
 3. The assemblyof claim 2, wherein the bracket is configured to allow the flat paneldisplay to be pulled away from the support surface and the equipmentrack to provide access to the equipment mounted to the rack.
 4. Theassembly of claim 2, wherein the equipment rack includes a fan and/ortemperature sensor.
 5. The assembly of claim 2, wherein thevideoconferencing equipment includes one or more standard rack mountablepieces.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the support surface is asubstantially flat wall without openings for receiving videoconferencingequipment.
 7. A videoconferencing system comprising the assembly ofclaim
 1. 8. A method of installing videoconferencing equipment, themethod comprising: mounting a structure to a support surface; mounting aflat panel display to the structure; and mounting videoconferencingequipment to the structure so that the flat panel display substantiallyconceals the equipment and structure when viewed from a front side ofthe flat panel display.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein mounting thestructure comprises mounting a bracket and an equipment rack to thesupport surface.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein mounting the flatpanel display comprises mounting the flat panel display on the bracket.11. The method of claim 9, wherein mounting the videoconferencingequipment comprises mounting the videoconferencing equipment to theequipment rack.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising pullingthe mounted flat panel display away from the support surface to provideaccess to the videoconferencing equipment mounted to the equipment rack.13. The method of claim 8, performed without mounting a piece of thevideoconferencing equipment in a wall cavity.
 14. The method of claim 8,further comprising mounting the videoconferencing equipment in one ormore standard-sized rack units between the display and the supportsurface, in an equipment rack of the structure.
 15. An assembly ofvideoconferencing equipment, the assembly comprising: an equipment rackand a bracket mounted through the equipment rack to a support surface; aflat panel display mounted to the bracket; and videoconferencingequipment mounted to the rack; wherein the rack and thevideoconferencing equipment mounted thereto are substantially concealedfrom view by the flat panel display from a front side of the flat paneldisplay.
 16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the support surface is asubstantially flat wall without openings for receiving videoconferencingequipment.
 17. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the bracket isconfigured to allow the flat panel display to be pulled away from thesupport surface and the equipment rack to provide access to theequipment mounted to the rack.
 18. The assembly of claim 15, wherein theequipment rack includes a fan and/or temperature sensor.
 19. Theassembly of claim 15, wherein the videoconferencing equipment comprisesone or more standard rack mountable pieces.
 20. The assembly of claim15, wherein the videoconferencing equipment comprises a codec, acontroller, and/or a video/content receiver.